Family Road Trip from Lisbon: Sintra, Mafra and Ericeira

A loop of palaces, a monastery and Atlantic surf, all within 50 km of Lisbon and manageable in a single day if you pick your stops carefully.

Picking up the car and getting out of the city

Collect your hire car at Lisbon airport or from a garage near Marquês de Pombal rather than trying to drive from a hotel inside the Baixa; the narrow grid around Rossio and Alfama is one-way, cobbled and stressful with children in the back. Head out on the A5 towards Sintra and you will reach the historic centre in roughly 30 to 40 minutes outside rush hour. Leave by 8am. The IC19 is the slow alternative and clogs badly from about 8.30am on weekdays and all Saturday morning.

Parking in Sintra is the day's main friction. The lots beside the São Pedro de Sintra roundabout fill by mid-morning in July and August; the overflow car park near the Portela de Sintra train station is a ten-minute walk downhill and easier with a pushchair. If you are travelling with very young children, consider the train from Rossio instead and hire the car the following day - the 40-minute ride drops you at Sintra station beside the bus 434 loop that serves the palaces.

Sintra: which palaces earn the time

You cannot see all of Sintra in one day with children, so choose two. The Pena Palace is the postcard and worth it, but book a timed ticket online and arrive at opening; the walk up from the gate is steep, and the interior tour adds an hour. Quinta da Regaleira in the village centre is the better bet for older children, with its initiation wells and tunnels, and the gardens absorb two hours comfortably. Skip the Moorish Castle if time is tight - the walls are dramatic but the climb is exposed and hot by midday.

The historic centre around Rua Visconde de Monserrate is where you stop for lunch. Expect to pay more here than in Mafra; a family meal of grilled fish and petiscos sits in the mid-range for the region, and the pastries at the older bakeries near the National Palace are better value than the cafés on the main square. Allow 45 minutes and move on. Sintra is coolest and quietest in May, June and late September - July and August bring queues at every gate.

Mafra and the coast road to Ericeira

From Sintra take the A21 west towards Mafra, about 20 minutes. The Palácio Nacional de Mafra is the reason to come: an enormous baroque monastery-palace with a library of some 30,000 volumes and a basilica you can enter for free. The palace ticket is modest and children usually find the royal apartments and the carillon more interesting than the church. Two hours is enough. The town itself is plain and pleasant, with cheaper cafés than Sintra and a wide main square where children can run.

From Mafra the N116 drops to Ericeira in about 15 minutes, or take the smaller road through Carvoeira for sea views. Ericeira is a working fishing town turned surf reserve, and the beaches at Ribeira d'Ilhas and Foz do Lizandro are the family-friendly ones - the latter has a wide sandy bay and calmer water at low tide. Parking near the centre in August is genuinely difficult; use the larger lots on the town's edge and walk in. Allow the afternoon here.

Where to sleep and what to skip

The sensible base is Lisbon itself, where the hotel stock is deepest and prices are most competitive outside peak August, with Sintra reachable by train and the coast by car. If you want a beach day without driving back in the evening, one or two nights in Ericeira or Cascais works well; Ericeira is quieter and cheaper, Cascais has the train link to Lisbon and more restaurants. Book Lisbon for the bulk of the trip and add a coastal night mid-week, when rates dip.

Skip Cabo da Roca unless the weather is clear - it is a windswept viewpoint and little more - and skip the Sintra tram in high season, when it is slow and crowded. Do not attempt Sintra, Mafra and Ericeira properly in one day; the driving alone eats three hours. Split it: Sintra and the coast one day, Mafra another. Fuel up before leaving Lisbon; service stations thin out on the N roads.

Questions, answered

Do I need a car for Sintra and Mafra?

Sintra is easy by train from Rossio, but Mafra and Ericeira are far more practical by car, with limited bus connections. A car gives you the flexibility to combine both in a day and to reach Ericeira's beaches, though parking in Sintra and Ericeira in summer is tight.

What is the best month for this drive?

Late May, June and September offer warm weather with smaller crowds and easier parking. July and August bring queues at Sintra's palaces and full car parks in Ericeira. Winter is quiet but some coastal restaurants close and Atlantic weather can be wet and windy.

Is Ericeira suitable for young children?

Yes, with care. Foz do Lizandro has a wide sandy beach and gentler water at low tide, and the town centre is compact and walkable. The famous surf breaks at Ribeira d'Ilhas are for experienced swimmers, so keep young children to the lifeguarded family beaches.

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